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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Texas is a genuine bargain: 39 of the 40 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Sugar Land leads at an index of 116 with rent at just $1,990/month — -5% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal …
Texas is a genuine bargain: 39 of the 40 cities in this ranking come in below the national cost-of-living average. It's fine. Not great, not bad. Sugar Land leads at an index of 116 with rent at just $1,990/month — -5% less than the $1,895 national median. Here are the numbers, sourced from federal data updated in 2026.
The real cost of living can't be reduced to a single number. But this comes close: 43-point cost gap between #1 and #40. Sugar Land (index 116) and Amarillo (index 73) sit 43 points apart on the cost index — proof that Texas is far from monolithic in affordability. On a fixed income, this is the metric that matters most.
Why Sugar Land ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 116 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 5% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,990/month while the median household pulls in $137,511/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 103, though Housing (116) lags behind. Home prices average $440,419 — $26,951 below the national median.
Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. This gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Sugar Land: $1,990/mo, Pearland: $1,797/mo, League: $1,764/mo.
With that foundation in place: Across Texas, the average cost of living index is 90 — 21 points below the national median. Known for no income tax, massive metros, and wide-open affordability, the state offers 40 tracked cities with median rents averaging $1,536/month. That's $359 less than the national average of $1,895. Year over year, that savings rate is portfolio-grade.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
#1 Ranked: Sugar Land — cost index 116, rent $1,990/mo, income $137,511
43-point cost gap between #1 and #40
39 of 40 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
108,515 residents · Texas
Here's Sugar Land by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 116. Rent: $1,990/month. Income: $137,511/year. Home price: $440,419. Population: 108,515. The strongest category is Healthcare at 103; the most expensive is Housing at 116. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $1,140 more per year vs. the national median. This is the type of edge you don't see advertised.
127,736 residents · Texas
Here's Pearland by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,797/month. Income: $112,470/year. Home price: $376,053. Population: 127,736. The strongest category is Healthcare at 101; the most expensive is Housing at 105. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $1,176 per year vs. the national median. That adds up much faster than people realize (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
116,320 residents · Texas
What does daily life actually cost in League? Start with the 18% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 101) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 103) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $119,870 and homes at $368,400 round out a profile that ranks #3 for clear reasons.
129,043 residents · Texas
Abilene earns its position at #4 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 103 cost index sits 8 points below the national baseline, and the $62,720 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $206,199 — $261,171 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Healthcare leads the way at 101, while Housing trails at 103.
125,192 residents · Texas
A closer look at College Station: the cost index of 102 breaks down to a Healthcare index of 100 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 102 (weakest). Median rent is $1,755/month — 7% below the national median — while household income sits at $51,776, meaning locals spend about 41% of income on rent. That exceeds the recommended 30% threshold — affordability here depends on earning above the median. That's not nothing.
Cities with the highest rents in Texas are ranked from most expensive to least. High rent doesn't always mean unaffordable — we pair rent data with income to show the full picture. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Sugar Land ranks #1 in Texas for this analysis with a cost index of 116 and median income of $137,511.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Sugar Land (ranked #1) has a cost index of 116 and rent of $1,990/mo, while Amarillo (ranked #40) has a cost index of 73 and rent of $1,245/mo — a 43-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Sugar Land is $1,990/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $95 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Sugar Land is $440,419, which is 3.2× the local median income. That's within the standard 3.5× affordability rule for most local earners. The national median home price is $467,370.
Texas has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.19%, and the effective property tax rate is 1.6%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.